


Change

by Lilabethwritescrap



Category: SK8 the Infinity (Anime)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Ep. 9, Episode 9, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Jerry - Freeform, M/M, MatchaBlossom, Physical hurt/comfort, Requited Love, Unrequited Love, no beta we die like men, past cherry loves adam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 07:34:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29897742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilabethwritescrap/pseuds/Lilabethwritescrap
Summary: A past retelling of their relationship in emotions and how Joe and Cherry move forward from Adam.
Relationships: Kikuchi Tadashi/Nanjo Kojiro | Joe/Sakurayashiki Kaoru | Cherry Blossom/Shindo Ainosuke | Adam, Nanjo Kojiro | Joe/Sakurayashiki Kaoru | Cherry Blossom
Kudos: 48





	Change

**Author's Note:**

> I have sk8 the infinity brain rot so here have some Matchablossom

Adam stood at the top of the hill looking down at his friends who were huddled around the injured competitor. Cherry looked up at Adam mortified at what he had become. Joe looked at Cherry with pity. He knew what Kaoru was feeling, he had felt it many times before, every time Cherry had looked at Adam with those bright eyes.

Joe walked home with Cherry silently. Neither of them knew what would happen to their small group of friends, but they knew that Adam had destroyed it. Kojiro knew that Adam had destroyed Cherry’s heart. Cherry, on the other hand, didn’t even realize what he had just lost.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?” Joe asked quietly. Kaoru froze for a moment, but finally looked up at his friend and nodded.

Then they graduated.

“I don’t really want to go to college,” Joe said leaning back in his chair.

“Me either. Seems boring. My mom wants me to be an accountant.” Cherry said playing with his lip piercing. Joe watched Cherry with fascination. He was just so beautiful.

“Uh, and what do you want to do?”

“Huh, not accounting.” He responded. Joe reached his hand out and ran his fingers through Cherry’s long pink hair. Cherry’s face reddened matching that hair. 

“Do...Do you want to go on a trip?” Joe asked, pulling his hand back. Cherry smiled.

“Sure.”

So they did. The pair travelled the world. Best friends. They found themselves in Italy. They sat down at a fancy restaurant to celebrate Cherry’s birthday. One bite and Joe realized what he wanted to do with his life. 

“I want to go to culinary school.” He said later that night. They returned home and Joe became a chef and Cherry became an artist. 

Nothing seemed to change between them. They were fine, they were happy, they were friends. Cherry would end up in his restaurant every so often when a client wanted to show Kaoru the fancy restaurant they assumed he had never eaten at. Joe would pretend he didn’t know the man.

“Kaoru, when are you getting off work?” Joe asked quietly. Cherry smacked him with his fan.

“Shut up, I’m working.” He glared. Joe laughed and they continued their day. Then Adam returned. With the arrival of the prodigious Snow, Cherry and Joe had been very interested in skateboarding again. They had never stopped, it was fun to compete with each other, but having Langa and the others made them feel like mentors or something. Until Adam threatened their fun. 

“How can he just come back like nothing happened? We have been requesting beefs with him forever”. Cherry shouted in Joe’s empty dining room. Joe stood there, his arms crossed.

“I’m going to compete against him and we will end this. He,” Cherry was distraught to say the least, “He’s so different.”

Joe watched the emotions crawl across Cherry’s face. Anger, sadness, joy. It was all there and it hurt Kojiro. He loved Cherry far more than he cared to admit, but Cherry still held out hope for Adam. He still held a place for that beautiful man. It was irritating, probably to both of them, but definitely to Joe. 

Then it was Cherry’s turn to skate against Adam.

“Promise me you won’t die”

“Adam won’t hurt me. He can’t” Cherry insisted. He was wrong. Adam swung his board and hit Cherry with a loud crack. The AI Skater fell back hard and painful. All the spectators winced. Almost without thinking Joe ran forward after them. Adam stared at the broken man. The Adam Cherry had fallen for was gone. Kojiro found Kaoru on the hill still on his back.

“Kaoru!” He yelled, diving forward and lifting him up. Cherry looked at Joe and started crying. Joe pulled Cherry up and brought him to a hospital with Carla of course. Cherry cried almost the whole way. Joe left him there and went to his restaurant to close up. He pulled a chair aside. He knew Kaoru very well and he knew that he would see him after being discharged. 

He was right of course. Kaoru pulled into the spot on a transformed Carla wheelchair. The plan was to get drunk. Cherry passed out silently instead. 

“Adam is alone.” He said. He trusted Joe to take care of him.

“We are not alone, right Kaoru?” Joe finished. There was no response, but Joe smiled down at him. Cherry was a quiet sleeper. His chest rose and fell slightly. Kojiro smiled. 

“Carla, can you take Kaoru home?” He asked. No answer. Joe sighed with a bit of a grin. He cleaned up the rest of the restaurant and prepared for the next day while his friend slept. Then he just stared at him. He really was so beautiful. How could Adam think he was boring, Kaoru was the most interesting person he knew in real life. In his love struck daze he didn’t realize Cherry had opened his eyes.

“What are you staring at?” He asked softly. Kojiro just lit up and averted his eyes quickly.

“Um, nothing. Carla wouldn’t listen to me.”

“What did you ask her?”

“To take you home”

“Oh. Did you want me to leave?” Cherry paused. They were not looking at each other at all. For years nothing had changed, but suddenly something had.

“No.” Kojiro responded quietly. Cherry moved his shoulder a bit, but winced in pain. Joe’s instinct to protect his friends overrode the awkwardness of the situation.

“Are you alright?” He looked concerned.

“I’m fine. Would you just um… sit on the other side of me” Cherry said stoically. Joe sat in the chair to Cherry’s left.

“Why? What purpose does me moving serve?” Joe asked confused. Kaoru reached his uninjured left hand out and grabbed onto Kojiro’s. Joe fell silent.

“I couldn’t hold your hand with my right arm.”

“I thought you said it was just a scratch”

“Shut up and let me hold your hand.” Kaoru demanded quite aggressively, but the faint blush on his cheeks was anything but mean. They just sat there holding hands for a long time. It was actually only a minute, but to them it felt like forever. Skinship wasn’t necessarily uncommon between the two, but this was different. This meant something. As Joe looked at Cherry with love in his eyes. Kaoru looked back at him and Kojiro noticed that he held the same love. It was clear that Cherry had wholly let go of the small bit of emotion he still held for Adam. That spot on his heart was gone and immediately found itself full of love. Love for Kojiro.

“Kojiro.” Kaoru started. He wasn’t quite sure how to continue.

“Me too.” Kojiro responded.

They held hands as the night went on in the quiet of Joe’s empty restaurant, but they felt full.


End file.
